Celebrating its 10th year at FMS...
Butterfly Station flutters into Guilderland July 14–Aug. 15

The butterflies are coming! Butterfly Station, a student-run butterfly house, native plant garden, and organic community garden, is set to open to the public for the 2008 season on July 14. Located on the grounds of Farnsworth Middle School, this is the station’s 10th year of operation. Besides walking among butterflies, visitors can watch how butterflies are raised in the metamorphosis room or make free butterfly projects in the craft room. Community members of all ages will enjoy the many interactive butterfly exhibits in the museum room. Guest are also invited to stop by and purchase seasonal produce at the community organic garden. Butterfly Station is free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from July 14 through August 15. Please stop by and enjoy all that the station has to offer!

Recommended Summer Reading List 2008

Summer is the perfect time for children of any age to sit back and relax with a good book or two. Please click here to view summer reading suggestions from our district librarians and teachers that you can find at your local library or bookstore!

Allan Lockwood

Christopher Sanita

New elementary principals named
Allan Lockwood to lead Guilderland Elementary School;
Christopher Sanita to lead Pine Bush Elementary School

At its meeting on April 29, 2008, the Guilderland Board of Education unanimously approved the appointment of two new elementary principals: Allan Lockwood, to the position of Guilderland Elementary School Principal and Christopher Sanita, to the position of Pine Bush Elementary School principal. Lockwood and Sanita will be succeeding current principals Dianne Walshhampton and Martha Beck, respectively, upon their retirement in June.

Since 1999, Lockwood has been a fifth grade teacher at Altamont Elementary School. Prior to that, he was employed as a community based skills teacher with the Neil Hellman School in Albany and also served as a unit supervisor at Parsons Child and Family Center.

He is a graduate of SUNY Potsdam, where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology, and of The College of Saint Rose, where he completed both his master’s degree in elementary education and his certificate of advanced study in education leadership and administration.

Sanita has been with the Guilderland Central School District since 1994. He began his career as a teaching assistant at Farnsworth Middle School before receiving his tenure as both a special education and math teacher. Since 2003, Sanita has been employed as a House Principal at FMS.

He is a graduate of SUNY Oswego, where he received his bachelor’s degree in psychology, and of SUNY Albany, where he completed a master’s degree in educational psychology and statistics. He went on to complete a second master’s degree, in special education, from The College of Saint Rose and received his administrative certification from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Both Lockwood and Sanita will officially begin their new administrative duties in July, 2008.

Pine Bush fifth graders change the world one book at a time!

What do cows, chickens, and goats have to do with reading? Students at Pine Bush can tell you. Over the next several weeks the fifth graders will be participating in Heifer International’s Read to Feed program. The more books the students read, the more money they will raise to provide families all over the world with farm animals.

During the program, students and teachers will discuss issues surrounding world hunger and earn pledges from family, friends, and community members for the number of books they read or the amount of time spent reading. At the conclusion of the program, students will collect the money from their sponsors and choose a “gift” to donate. The donations provide income-producing farm animals and training in how to care for the animals to impoverished families around the world. Gifts include sheep, goats, and llamas. The great part is that families receiving an animal often pass on the gift of their animal’s offspring to others.

Read to Feed is both a reading motivation and a unique educational opportunity that provides students with a global perspective. In addition to the reading component, students learn about different cultures. It also provides a way for children to become actively involved and personally make a difference.

For more information about Heifer International and its mission, visit www.heifer.org.

Your source for up-to-date Pine Bush information

Pine Bush Elementary School has an information line on the Times Union Sourceline, that will give all Pine Bush families the opportunity to hear prerecorded messages concerning current school activities and/or special emergency announcement. To access Pine Bush on the Sourceline, call 446-4000 and enter mailbox #8335.

Operation Recognition underway at Guilderland

Guilderland Central School District is proud to be a partner in Operation Recognition, a New York State program which grants a high school diploma to any veteran who left school prior to graduation to serve in the military during World War II, the Korean Conflict, or the Vietnam War. Individuals need not have attended GCSD at the time of service to be eligible for this program. Diplomas may also be awarded to next of kin, if eligibility is established.

Community members interested in participating in Operation Recognition are encouraged to contact Guilderland Superintendent of Schools John McGuire at 456-6200, ext. 3102, or visit our Operation Recognition home page for additional details and eligibility requirements.